The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, and today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. Why Disastrous Sales and Marketing Misalignment Persists (& How to Fix It) — HubSpot

Sales and marketing teams both directly touch the customer, but for some reason, the average company just can’t find a common ground after that. However, consider that more than 50% of the success of a social selling ecosystem within your company is going to start and end with Marketing! This article offers practical advice on how to get Sales and Marketing working together.

We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, and today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. 6 Unexpected Questions That Reveal What Your Prospect Is Really Thinking — HubSpot

Most prospects get the same questions from salespeople over and over again. Using any of these cliché, routine questions harms your credibility. Rather than seeing you as a trusted advisor, the buyer associates you with all the other reps they’ve ever spoken to. In addition, your prospect will go on autopilot and recite the same answer they’ve given on previous sales calls. You’ll lose the chance to get information your competition doesn’t have. To maintain authority, keep the buyer’s attention, and find out what they’re really thinking, ask questions they’re not expecting. 

We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, and today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. How Marketing Must Evolve: 19 Leaders Peer Into Content’s Future — Content Marketing Institute

What do you envision for the future of content from a marketing perspective, and how do marketing teams need to evolve to prepare? The CMI editorial team recently put this question to the pros who will present at the Intelligent Content Conference March 28–30 in Las Vegas. Here's what they said.

We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, and today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. How to Know Exactly What Content to Deliver to Convert More Prospects — Copyblogger

How do you know what content to send to prospects when? Whether it's top-of-the-funnel marketing content, sales collateral, or something in between, it's critical to get content delivery right. This article provides a content mapping framework from the perspective of the hero's journey.

We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, and today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. How to Take Advantage of LinkedIn's Updated Search System — Social Media Today

LinkedIn recently announced that its updated desktop design will hit profiles worldwide within the next few weeks. And while the new look and updated functionality is interesting, the biggest takeaway is an improved ability for you to leverage any original content you publish on the platform as a gateway to new business. Learn more.

LeadG2 is hosting a complimentary webinar for sales managers that will teach practical tips to arm your sales team with the tools, resources, and information they need to strengthen and shorten the sales cycle, ultimately closing more business.

We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, and today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. LinkedIn's Major Makeover Is Designed To Make You Want To Actually Use LinkedIn — Fast Company

This cleaner, faster desktop version of LinkedIn makes it easier to read news, connect with people, and spruce up your profile. Check out the details.

We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, and today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. Nailing the First Five Minutes of a Business Conversation— Salesforce

If your sales organization is not prepared to sell into the C-Suite, you need to get there. Middle managers are no longer the only people you need to sell to—top-level executives are being brought into sales conversations more and more in today's B2B sales. This article offers insight straight from a corporate COO, who says that he gives a vendor less than five minutes to establish relevance and credibility. In those five minutes, he looks for three things.

We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, and today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.

1. 6 Creative Sales Prospecting Ideas You've Never Tried Before — HubSpot

Sales success largely depends on routines. There are only so many hours in a day to sell -- the more practiced salespeople are at completing everyday tasks, the more time they can allocate to high-value activities like meeting with prospects or learning new skills. But sticking to the same process isn’t always a good thing. If you rely on the same prospecting methods and never try anything new, you’ll miss out on valuable opportunities. Use these six ideas as inspiration.

You probably have some ambitious sales goals for Q1 of 2017. And to reach those goals, you've got to get more high-quality appointments. If you aren't sure how you're going to get there, check out these free resources.